Simón Bolivar: His Influence On The Venezuelan Revolution

Simón Bolívar: His Influence on the 19th century Venezuelan Revolutions

Total Word Count: 1954
Simón Bolívar and Venezuelan Independence
A. Plan of Investigation
Why, and with what results, did Simón Bolívar play a role in the revolutionary movement of Venezuela in the early to mid-1800s?
Venezuela, in the late 18th century and early 19th century, was an economic powerhouse as well as an intellectual hub for Latin America. By the time Simón Bolívar led his Admirable Campaign, the country no longer had a dependence on its Spanish colonizers, and independence was inevitable. In this research paper, I will attempt to connect the proceedings of the Venezuelan War of Independence to the famous revolutionary,

• “Colombia is not France, and I am not Napoleon.” (1826, Bolívar)
• Napoleon 's invasion of Spain (1808) was the catalyst for Latin American independence (Burns/Charlip 76).
• “And shall Europe, the civilized, the merchant, the lover of liberty allow an aged serpent, bent only on satisfying its venomous rage, devour the fairest part of our globe?” (1815, Bolívar)
• Juntas began forming, with Bolívar having input into the one in Caracas (formed in 1810), and then being sent to Britain as a representative of Venezuela (Ludwig 142).
• “Great Britain, the liberator of Europe, the friend of Asia, the protector of Africa, not become the liberator of America also? Should every ear remain deaf to the voice of humanity, I will, if need be, march to the Pole and there die for my country.” (1815, Bolívar)
• Bolívar led the patriots in the Admirable Campaign (1813), a military operation designed to release Venezuela from Spanish jurisdiction (Sherwell 97). It concluded with the reestablishment of the Venezuelan Republic and Bolívar was given the name El Libertador (The

This account of Bolívar’s life and political ideals helped to chart the linear progression of Bolívar’s ideas and military campaigns, placing them within the context of what was occurring in his life at the time. By having a thorough biography filled with every piece of minutiae of Bolívar’s life, I was able to cross-check events in Ludwig’s book with other sources, such as Bolívar’s letters and journals. The source was thoroughly researched and well-founded, allowing me to a great deal of information about Bolívar. However, due to its age, the source may not have the full extent of everything modern-day historians know about Bolívar, as many of his journals and letters were found in the late 20th century, well after this book had been published. Ludwig was also politically biased, preferring to write biographies on those on the far-left of the political spectrum, painting them in perhaps a more positive light than they should have been